Year Three

Visual Arts education provides tools through which children can express feelings and ideas that words cannot convey. Through the language of Visual Arts, children’s class work can be integrated through finding connections and patterns. The Arts provide children with a language that is universal.

"Dreaming With Eyes Wide Open"

The students created a dream like, or surrealist style artwork related to the Book Week theme, "Dreaming With Eyes Wide Open". They looked at famous surrealist artist Salvador Dali's artworks and read "Bamboozled", by David Legge, an excellent children's picture book which celebrates surrealism. This further developed student skills in creative, imaginative and conceptual drawing.

The children also read about and discussed themes of inclusion, respect and kindness, and explored an illustrated book, “The Art of Kindness”, by Meredith Gaston to link the Book Week, "dreaming" theme to caring for themselves, each other and our Earth.

Stop Motion, Claymation movie making!

The students were inspired by Nick Park's brilliant Claymation series, Wallace & Gromit, chronicles the adventures of an eccentric, cheese-loving inventor and his sharp-witted canine companion.

The Wallace and Gromit films are shot using the stop motion animation technique. After detailed storyboarding, set and plasticine model construction, their films were shot one frame at a time, moving the models of the characters slightly to give the impression of movement in the final film.

Marc Chagall, Christmas inspired angels!

Learning intention: To develop new ways of thinking, seeing and creating.

Success Criteria: I can…

Design a realistic, surreal or abstract artwork based around Christmas, family, friendship, love and peace, inspired by Chagall.

Winston and the indoor cat.

Students developed skills in creative, imaginative, and conceptual drawing, sculpture and making after reading Book Week, shortlisted picture book, “Winston and the Indoor Cat”, by Leila Rudge, about friendship and appreciating each other’s differences.

Refugee Healing Art.

Students described and discussed similarities and differences between the artworks they made as a response to David Miller’s illustrations in his book, ‘Refugees’. They discussed how they and other artists can organise the elements and processes in artworks and which materials they would like to use in their poster creations for 'Refugee Week'. The students collaborated and brainstormed ideas around planning and making artworks that communicate ideas about human rights, multiculturalism and compassion.

“The Girl with The Pearl Earring”

After reading about Johannes Vermeere, a Dutch 17th century artist who was known for painting women during their daily lives, students described and discussed similarities and differences between styles, techniques and themes used in his artworks and other famous portrait artists. They discussed how they used the elements and processes of art in their recreations of ‘The Girl with The Pearl Earring’ and combined drawing and photography to make a self-portrait. The children extended their awareness of visual conventions and observed closely visual detail and proportion as they use materials, techniques, technologies and processes in the recreation of a portrait in the style of Vermeer. They explored ideas and artworks from different cultures and times, including artwork by Verneer, to use as inspiration for their own representations in self-portraiture.